Telephone-directory holder.



B. JAHN & J. c. HAMMER.

TELEPHONE DIRECTORY HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 18, I916- Patented May 1, 1917.

:Rs 60.. Fume-Lima, WASHINGTON. o ::v

Warren seniors ANT er s r BERTHOLD JAHN, OF NEW BRITAIN, AND JOSEPH C. HAMMER, OT HARTFORD, CON- NECTICUT, ASSIGNORS TO THE B. J'AHN MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION.

TELEPHONE-DIRECTORY HOLDER.

Application filed. March 18, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, BERTl-IOLD JAHN and JOSEPH CARL HAMMER, citizens of the United States, said JAHN residing at New Britain and said HAMMER in Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Telephone-Directory Holders, of which the following is a specification. I

Our invention relates to improvements in telephone directory holders, and the object of our improvement is to produce a combination of the usual set of covers, hinged to a back, and mechanism for holding a telephone directory or similar flexible cov ered book therein in a safe and reliable manner, convenient for use, and which will permit of easy insertion and removal thereof, and which in efiecting these results involves the use of a thin blade-like holding device that is inserted between the pages,

and which is adapted when unlocked to swing freely outwardly and inwardly, in parallel relation to the said pages, andwithout any twisting or turning of the sa d device during any part of the use or manlpulation of the same.

In the accompanying drawing:-

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a telephone directory equipped with our improved holder.

Fig. 2 is a similar view, on an enlarged scale, of the upper part of the telephone directory holder shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the lower part thereof.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the part shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a similar view of the same with the parts in the unlocked position.

Fig. 6 is a bottom view of the same with the parts in the position shown in Fig. 8.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the line as m of Fig. 4:, the holding strip being shown in side elevation.

Fig. 8 is a plan view, in part broken away, of the blank for the frame.

Fig. 9 is a plan view, in part broken away, of the blank for the holding strip.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 1, 1917.

Serial No. 85,189.

Fig. 10 is a plan view of a modified form of locking device and adjacent parts.

Our improved telephone directory holder comprises a set of covers of well known construction, having a pair of covers proper 10 hinged to a back 11, in combination with holding mechanism of special construction vto be described for holding a telephone directory 12 or other book in place within the said set of covers.

The said mechanism comprises a frame 13 of sheet material, usually secured to the said back 11, and extending along the back edge of the directory 12, and a holding member 14 connected by its ends with the end portions of the frame 13 and having its body portion positioned between the leaves of the directory 12, preferably at about the middle portion thereof, and separated from the body portion of the frame 13 by a space suitable for housing the bound rear edge portion ofthe directory 12.

The frame 13 as mentioned is made of sheet material, and comprises an elongated strip, the body portion 15 being of suitable length to extend along the rear of the directory 12 and having means for being socured to the back 11, the said means as shown consisting of a plurality of holes 16 for rivets 17. The end portions of the frame 13 are bent forwardly relatively to the body portion 15, at a right angle, whereby the frame structure is generally U-shape.

The lower end portion 18 has adjacent the front end a longitudinally extending closed slot 19 that is an operative fit for the holding member 1 1.

The upper end portion 20 is also provided with a longitudinal slot 21, which however is open at the front end, whereby the holding member 14 may be slipped into the same and withdrawn therefrom as desired, and by a radial movement, always in the same plane. The said upper end portion 20 is accordingly forked at the front portion, the slot 21 dividing the same into two arms 22. The arms 22 may each have a hole 23 which serves as one member of an auxiliary looking device.

The holding member 1 1 is formed of a thin strip of sheet material, is bent near the lower end at a right angle to form the short lateral arm 24, has a body portion of sufficient length to extend through the directory 12 and have the end portions engaged with the' slots 19 and 21, and the upper end portion is extended suitably to be provided with a hole 25 for a ring 26 that serves as a handle and supporting means generally.

The short arm 24 serves as a head and engages with the lower face of the lower end portion 18 of the frame 13 to prevent longitudinal separation in an upward direction of the holding member 14 from the frame 13 and serves as the support for the entire structure generally when suspended by the ring support or handle 26.

A locking device 27pivotally mounted on the upper end portion 20 of the frame 13 serves to bridge the open end portion of the slot 21 when in locked position and comprises a generally V-shaped piece of sheet material, having a hole 28 at the apex por tion for the pivotal pin or rivet 29, the body portion being composed of a pair of inwardly directed hook-shaped arms. The saidarms comprise each a radial portion 30 and a branch extending inwardly from the front end thereof. The opposed ends 32 of the branches are separated by a slit or passage 33 that is an operative fit for the holding member 14. The said ends 32 are each provided on the inner side with a stop lug 34. Thus as described there is provided between the radial arms 30 a working space 35 for the upper end portion of the holding member 14 and between the stop plug 34 and the front end of the radial arm 30 on the inner side of the branch 32 in each case there is a generally V-shaped notch or recess 36 suitable for receiving the edge of the holding member 14.

The locking member is preferably positioned on the upper side of the upper end portion 20 of the frame on which it is I mounted and comprises as auxiliary locking means a downwardly extending lug 37, formed by indenting the material from the upper side, and which engages with the hole 23 for holding the locking member in the open position, as shown in Fig. 5, and for holding in the closed position, asshown in Fig. 4, engages one of the edges of the upper end portion 20. Thus the lug 37 on one of the hook-shaped arms 39 described engages with one edge of the upper end portion 20 and the other lug 37 with the other edge thereof, and the two lugs 37 cooperate to lock the looking member in the open position, as shown in the said Fig. 5.

The slots 19 and 21 in which the holding member is housed are in the same plane. The engagement of the lower end portion of the holding member 14 with the lower slot 19 serves as a loose form of pivotal connection. The holding member 14 in its movements in being brought to the holding position and away from such position is swung generally radially, with the lower end portion serving as the pivot, such movements being in the plane that is common to the two slots 19 and 21, and parallel to the pages of the book or directory when in the closed position, and without any twisting or turning of the said holding member.

In the modification shown in Fig. 10 one of the arms 39 is dispensed with, the construction otherwise being similar to that which has been described above.

We claim as our invention '1. A telephone directory holder comprising a frame for extending along the rear side of the directory and having forwardly extending branches at the ends, one of the said branches having aclosed slot and the other an open slot, a holding member having end portions fitting in the said slots, a pivotally mounted locking member for closing the open end portion of the said open slot, and auxiliary locking means for holding the said locking member comprising a lug on the said locking member, the said frame having means for engaging with the said lug in both the open and the closed positions of the said locking member.

2. In a telephone directory holder, a frame having an upper end portion provided with an open slot, a holding member fitting in the said slot, and a locking member pivotally mounted on the said upper end portion, the said locking member comprising a hook shaped arm composed of a radial portion and a laterally directed branch portion suitable for bridging the said slot.

3. In a telephone directory holder, a frame having an upper end portion provided with an open slot, a holding member fitting in the said slot, and a locking member pivotally mounted on the said upper end portion, the said locking member comprising a hook shaped arm composed of a radial portion and a laterally directed branch portion suitable for bridging the said slot, and the free end portion of the said branch portion being provided with an inwardly directed stop lug.

4. In a telephone directory holder, a frame formed of a strip of sheet material having a body portion for extending along the rear edge of the directory and a forwardly extending upper end portion, the

said upper end portion having an open slot, a holding member for extending along between the pages of the directory and fitting in the said slot, a locking member pivotally mounted by a pivotal pin positioned at the rear of the said slot, the said upper end poring means for locking the said locking memtion having a hole adjacent the said slot, her in the closed and the open positions.

and the said locking member having a book- BERTHOLD JAHN. shaped arm for bridging the said slot and J. C. HAMMER. 5 having a lug for alternately engaging with Witnesses:

the said hole and With one edge of the said HERBERT F. JAHN, upper end portion serving as auxiliary lock- ERNEST E. KoHL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patent Washington, D. G. 

